New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-18
RECENT FRENCH BOOKS.
COME NEW EDITIONS,

ADVENTURES PRoDIGIEUsEs DE TARfAR1N DE IA
i.ASCOS. Par ALFHoNsE DAUDSf. rams r. Oentu
New-York: ". r. jenkins.
Ia BELLE NIYERNAisE Par AIrHoNsE DArnkr.
Paris C. Marpen ct +. Flamm"rion' New-fork
prfycrssE Par LrDosic HALgvr. Paris, Calmann
Levy.
XolR Ell ROSE. GEORGES ousEh Pari's Paul o'en-
la FRANCE JUNE DEvANT HoPINIoN; Par EDou'
ARD DnUMoNT. Paris c. Marpor ct H. illumination.
New-York: ". Il. Jenkins.
AUTOUR DU COSCiLE SOUVENIRS BIT CRoQuIs
d. UN Artistic A ROME Par CnAhLRs fRAkih
Paris: J. kothscbild
The great success Of the beautifully illustrated
edition of Daudcts "Tararin sur les Alpes' a
year ago naturally led to the preparation OF ali
illustrated edition of tho initial humorous master
piece "1artarin dc 1arasoon," and the mousse o'
Dcntu was intrsted with the undertaRhe -"
tarinr is already q classic but one cannon o"' ioo
grateful to the publisher who FURNISHES "h eNo"'N
for reading once more so dellghIlui u Pi"u"
No writer has ever described the southern rie'."
man better than Alphonse Daudet. he KNOWS "''
TYNE thoroughly, and he revels In the eA'r"'"
gance which the hot sun OF the region seems W
develop ~ prOdigaly. 1artaI1n o 1araSoon'
however. is the flower of the race, and in his
charal ter doings and surroundings there Is so
de,icote a mixture Of realism and burlesque.
40 fine and genial humOr, 80 prSht yeo re-
morseless satire, that the good citizens OF laras
would not fall out with the author. As for lar
tarip. he is an immortal or rather both the Tar
tarins are immortsl-the who yearns Tor Thrill
ing adventures and the one who much prefers
life Of ease and security amid the Innocent pleas
ures and TRANQUIL occupations OF larascoh. Inc
story of how Tartarin Of Tarascon acquired ohe
reputation and honorary title of the Lion niaSer
is of course familiar to ali the reading world loh
since but until now the honors which chterpriS
inn publishers are fain to offer Tar less en'ei
tanning books have somehow been winner" h0i
this Last Christmas, however, the omission was
repaired by the issue Of this handsome ana pro-
e,se,v illustrated volume 10 must indeed DC
admitted that it suffers by comparison WIN INT
exceptionally beautiful edition OF Iartafin sur
les Alpes" us regards the illustrations VIC
latter had not existed PERHAPS the ne" lhus""
tions would have been Thought quite Satisfactory
Many of them indeed are very good ana eApieSe'''
and for an edition intended to be popular they
NAV suffice. The hearty lovers OF lar,"rih'
however, will not be satisfied until he has been
furnished dress and decoration for his earlier
az venbures in all respects equal to those with
which the now famous Figaro edition honored
his Alpine journey.
Messrs. Marpon g. Flammarion have published
another Of Daudet's earlier stories, La Belle
Nvernaise," in luxurious form, imperial octave
with broad margins, heavy paper, large clear
type and a large number of Illustrations many OF
which, including nearly all the full-page glypto-
graphs are excellent in their way. LA Belle |
Nivernaise7 is "a charming story. 1t is the his
tory Of poor family who live upon barge en-
gaged in the Wood transportation. The rough but |
warni-hearted father and skipper picks up a de
serted. child, little boy, and takes him home to
his barge cabin, though he knows that his WIFE,
having plenty of children of her own, VIII scold
him terribly. This happens, but alter all ule |
heart OF the captains wife Is not proof
against the helplessness of the little stranger and
she ends by adopting him. The fortunes of the |
family on the barge the tender little love affair |
which develops between the founding and the |
daughter of the barge captain. the discovery oil
the boys parenbage and the results OF that dis
covery arc all told in Daudet's best manner. The
volume contains in addition to this pretty story |
five short ones. three of them being versions of
those Provencale legends Of which this author is |
so fond and which he recounts so agreeably. The
last is a mere sketch called "The New Master" |
and appears either never to have been finished or
to have been finished very hastily. 10 hardly |
worth while to have preserved it, in fact "Jav-
ellie chez Ia Bon Dicu" is the best, being the ac-
count OF how a cattle dealing, wine drinking fell
low besuilcd st Peter into giving hm temporary
admission into Paradise how being inside he re
fused utterly to depart, and by what rlse he
was finally got rid Off. The legend of the Three
Low Masses has decidedly medieval favor.
1t is Christmas story, and no doubt there are |
still home circles where its recital at that season
would cause pleasant shiyerngs TO run down the |
backs of the listeners as they crept closer " the
great open fireplace.
There are four stories in NJ. Halevy's new vol |
ume, viz: Princesse. I'm Grand Marriage, Les |
Irois Coups de Foudre and Mon Camarade Mus |
sard. The first named is new. II is cast in that |
most difficult Of forms, the epistolay and il is |
not very interesting, the story of young gnl |
who inherits or has acquired horribly sordid and
mundane views; who chatters eternaly about
the pleasures of "the world who fails to appre
ciate very good father and mother; who con-
spires with scamp of a brother to effect rich
marriage for herself, and who finally succeeds |
Her father is a manufacturer who has amassed u |
large fortune but continues to live in thoroughly
bourgeois manner, which Of course dis9usts and |
his children, VINO after the fashion Of
their generation far too refined to be willing |
to exist in the plain way Of their parents In |
short, "Piincesse' is not pleasant story and its
conclusion seems rather intended TO intimate |
that the heartlesS, soulless lust of luxury and |
dissipation which this typical example Of class
Of worthless modern girls is given over to is !
something respectable and deserving of pursuit |
which is bad philosophy and ethics "A
Grand Marriage is much in the same style and
therefore open to the same objections. The best
story in the volume is not one. "1he |
Three Thunderbolts' is OF b. Halevy's best and
most brilliant tales 1t is dainty, sparkling, full |
Of quaint conceis and bright dramatic little stu
ations. NJ. Conquet has done well to put the |
/" Trois Coups dc Foudre" into his library Of livres
d amateurs; those exquisitcly printed and illus
trated volumes which constitute the very highest |
expression OF modern ART in book making. my |
Friend Mustard" is an amusing sketch, but rather |
Thin Among the hitherto unpublished pieces it |
must be said that there is really nothing 30 in
crease or even to sustain the reputation Of the |